Closing tool for cup-clips or government locks



United States Patent Harry W. Moxley, Sr.

[72] Inventor: v

3503 East Overton Road, Dallas, Texas 75216 [21 1 Application No.: 722,482

[22] Filed: April 18, 1968 [45] Patented: Aug. 4, 1970 [54] CLOSING TOOL FOR CUP-CLIPS OR Primary Examiner Richard J. Herbst Attorney- Giles C. Clegg, Jr.

ABSTRACT: A portable tool is disclosed that, when driven along the normally outstanding lip of a so-called government lock or cup-clip securing two mating sections of an air duct together, causes the lip to bend around the flanged portion of the male duct. The tool includes a number of rollers positioned to bend the lip through a ninety degree arc from the normally outstanding position to the closed position about the flange as the tool traverses the length of the lip, a front guide for supporting the tool along the lip and power means connected to at least one of the rollers for driving the tool.

Patented Aug. 4, 1970 3,522,784

INVENTOR HARRY W. MOXLEY SR.

ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 4, 1970 3,522,784

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ATTORNEY U.S.'PATENT 3,522,784 CLOSING TOOL FOR CUP-CLIPS OR GOVERNMENT LOCKS Large rectangular ducts and conduits, such as are used for carrying heated or cooled air from a central unit to various areas in a building, are conventionally formed of a number of sections to enable the sections to be connected together during installation. Each of the sections has an outwardly flanged male end and a female end. A device known in the trade as a government lock or cup-clip is attached to the female end of each duct at the time of fabrication for securingthe section to the male end of a mating section.

The government lock or cup-clip, hereinafter referred to as a lock, comprises four elongated pieces of sheet metal joined together at the ends by rivets or the like to form a rectangular frame conforming to the cross sectional shape of the duct to which it is attached. Each of the pieces are folded along their length to form an elongated U-shaped channel joined along one edge to an elongated web portion, extending perpendicularly outward from one top edge of the U. A second fold is made along the length of each piece to form a lip at a right angle with the web portion. The lip, the web portion and one side of the channel form a rectangular recess. The channel is fitted over the edge of each wall of one end of the duct and is suitably clipped or punched through after being placed thereon to hold it in place. The one wall of the U and the first and second portions of the angled lip then form a rectangular recess extending around the outside edge or mouth of the female end of the duct into which the flanged male end of a mating duct, which is of slightly greater cross-sectional area than the female end, is fitted.

After fitting the flanged male end of one section of duct into the recess formed around the edge of the mating section, it is necessary to bend or close the lip portion of the lock against the flange to hold the two sections securely together. This operation must be performed for each of the four pieces making up the lock to completely secure the sections together. It is commonly performed during installation of the ducts by partially bending the lip down with a hammer and then clamping it around the flange with a manual clamping tool. With large ducts, which can be as much as ten feet on a side, this operation can be quite tiring and time consuming.

The present invention provides a portable tool for bending the normally outstanding lip portion of the government lock or cup-clip around the flange in a fast, efficient and uniform manner. The tool comprises a frame, a guide attached to the front of the frame for preceding and supporting the frame along the lip, one or more pair of rollers positioned on the frame for bending the lip through the ninety degree are required to close it around the flange as the tool traverses the lip, and power means adapted for turning at least one of the rollers for causing the tool to traverse the length of the lip. A handle suitably positioned toward the back of the frame can be provided which an operator of the tool can grasp to aid in supporting the tool as it travels along the length of the lip. The motor used for driving the tool is preferably of the variable speed type for varying the rate of travel of the tool along the lip. Auxiliary rollers can be provided which bear against the surface of the duct to help position the tool and restrain twisting.

The invention, as well as many objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals denote like parts and in which:

FIGURE l is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of a tool in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the tool shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view in cross section, of two sections of duct to be connected by a government lock or cupclip which is not yet closed showing the operative relationship thereto of the front guide of the tool shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view partially in cross section, taken along line 4-4 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, taken along line 5-5 ofFIGURE l;

FIGURE 6 is a view partly in cross section taken along line 6-6 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary front elevational view, partly in section, of an alternative embodiment of the tool.

Referring now to FIGURES l and 2 of the drawings, a government lock or cup-clip closing tool in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention is denoted generally by the reference numeral 10. The tool comprises a frame 12 which is generally flat and may be formed of any suitably strong material, such as cast aluminum. The frame 12 mounts a guide 14 at the front thereof for directing and supporting the tool as it moves along the lip of a lock. The front guide is suitably formed from bar stock and extends upward and forwardly from the frame, having a curved section 16 formed at the front thereof and terminating at a straight portion 18 which is adapted for riding along the top surface of the normally outstanding portion of the lip. If desired, a roller can be mounted onto the straight portion 18 to provide rolling rather than sliding contact between portion 18 and the lip.

A number of rollers are rotatably positioned on the frame 12 for guiding and forming the outstanding portion of the lip around the flange formed at the male end of a section of duct. Rollers 20, 21, 28, 30, 34 and 36 are mounted on the frame 12. The arrows indicate their direction of rotation. Referring to FIGURE 4, it will be seen that each of the rollers 20 and 21 is supported on a spindle 22. The spindle 22 includes a recess 23 formed in the top thereof for engagement by a suitable wrench and a threaded shank 24 at the bottom for threadably engaging a similarly threaded recess formed in the frame 12. Needle bearings 25 are positioned around the spindle 22, between the spindle and the internal diameter of the rollers, for allowing the rollers to turn freely on the spindle when subjected to transverse pressure. A lock washer 26 is positioned between the spindle 22 and the frame 12 for securing the spindle in the threaded recess. The washer also provides a bearing surface for the bottoms of the needle bearings 25. As will also be noted in FIGURE 4, that portion 27 of the frame 12 which carries the roller 21 is canted downwardly so that an angle A is formed between the adjacent side surfaces of the rollers 20 and 21. This angle is preferably about forty-five degrees which will correspond to the amount the lip is bent together as it passes between the rollers 20 and 21.

A second pair of rollers 28 and 30 are positioned on the frame 12 behind the first pair, 20 and 21. The rollers 28 and 30 are also carried on spindles 29 and 31 and bearings are included there between as described with reference to the rollers 20 and .21. Referring also to FIGURE 5, it can be seen that the frame portion 32 which carries the spindle 31 and roller 30 is canted somewhat downwardly similarly though not as severely as portion 27. An angle 13" is formed between the adjacent side surfaces of the rollers 28 and 30. The angle BT is preferably about fifteen degrees. Thus, after passing between rollers 28 and 30, the lip will be bent to within approximately fifteen degrees of fully closed.

A third pair of rollers, 34 and 36, are positioned on frame 12 behind the rollers 28 and 30 for completing the final closing operation of the lip around the flange. Referring also to FIGURE 6, it will be seen that the axis of the rollers 34 and 36 are parallel as are the adjacent outer surfaces thereof. It will also be noted that roller 36 is shorter than the other rollers and is carried on a short spindle 37. The spindle 37 is attached to a U-shaped member 38 adapted to slide on a portion 39 of the top surface of the frame 12. Appropriate bearing and lock means are provided for securing the spindle and allowing the roller to turn freely thereon. Flanges 40 and 41 are formed on the sides of the frame portion 39 and a flange 42 is formed at the end thereof, which is to the right as viewed in FIGURE 6, to form a track for member 38. Lips 43 and 44 are formed on the inside top edges of flanges 40 and 41 respectively for engaging elongated indentations in the topedges of member 38 whereby the member 38 is free to slide laterally in the track formed by the flanges but is prevented by engagement of the lips 43 and 44 and indentations from riding up.

A threaded opening 45 is provided at the end of flange 42 through which is threaded a shaft having a turned end portion 48. The turned end 48 of the shaft 46 extends through an opening in the end of the U-shaped member 38. It is held there by a cutter key 49 and washer 50. A shoulder 51 is formed on the shaft 46 between the flange 42 and the end of the member 38 and a helical spring 52 is provided around the shaft to bear against the shoulder 51 and the end ofthe member 38, thereby biasing the member 38 against the washer 50. A rachet 54 is connected to the other end of the shaft 46, fitting over a turned portion 55 of the shaft. The rachet is held by a washer 58 carried on a bolt 56 which is threaded to the end of the shaft 46. The rachet includes a handle portion 59 and conventional rachet means whereby the rachet can be caused to turn freely in one direction but engages and turns the shaft 46 when moved in the other direction. As shown in FIGURE 2, an adjustment 62 is provided on the rachet for changing the direction of engagement, as is conventional.

To aid in positioning the tool on the lip of the lock and to keep it from rotating about the flange as it bends the lip, auxiliary rollers 63 and 67 are provided to roll on and bear against the walls of the duct adjacent the ends thereof. The auxiliary roller 63 and 67 are rotatably carried on shafts 64 and 68 by pins 65 and 70 extending through the axis of the rollers. The shafts 64 and 68 are in turn carried through vertical openings in the frame 12 adjacent the front and back roller pairs. Thumb screws 66 and 69 extend through threaded openings in the side of the frame 12 adjacent the shafts 64 and 68 respectively and are adapted to bear against the shafts, when tightened, to secure the shafts at variable positions of the extension. Thus, the heights of the rollers 63 and 64 above the frame 12 can be adjusted according to the width of the flange and the lip to which the tool is applied. The rollers then roll along the surface of the duct sections as shown in FIGURE 6 to position the tool and keep it from rotating during operation.

A variable speed motor (now shown) is carried in a housing 71 which is attached to the frame 12 by bolts 72 and 74 at the back of the frame and bolts 76 and 78 on the lower side. The motor housing includes a handle portion 80 by which the tool can be easily gripped by an operator. A trigger 82 is disposed in front of the handle 80 for easy access by the operator. The trigger, through conventional means (not shown) controls the variable speed motor. As shown in FIGURE 2, a shaft 84 which is connected at one end to the driveshaft of the variable speed motor, is suitably supported in the housing 71 by bearings 86. A bevel gear 88 is carried at the outer end of the shaft 84 for engagement with a second bevel gear 90. The gear 90 is, in turn, drivably connected through shaft 92 to the drive roller 34. A washer or other bearing surface 97 is provided between the roller 34 and the frame 12 for reducing friction of rotation of the roller. The surface of roller 34 is preferably knurled to prevent or reduce slippage between the surface of the web position 116 and roller 34. It will be noted from FIGURE 2 that the driven gear 90 is suitably larger and includes a great many more teeth than the drive gear 88. This ratio, which is preferably about twenty to one, gives the motor a substantial mechanical advantage over the drive roller 34. Thus, if the motor operates at a speed of about eighteen hundred revolutions per minute, the roller 34 will turn about ninety revolutions per minute. For a roller of one and a half inches in diameter, this will give the tool a speed of about thirty one surface feet per minute.

Operation of the tool disclosed above for closing the normally outstanding portion of the lip of a government lock or cup-clip connected to one section of duct about the flanged male end of a second section for holding the two together will now be described. FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view in cross section of the two sections of duct joined by a government lock or cup-clip, herein referred to as a lock. As shown therein Sections 100 and 102, are mated together by a lock 104. As previously mentioned, the locks are applied to the female end of the sections of ducts at the time of fabrication. Thus, as shown in FIGURE 3, the U portion of the lock is fitted over the edge ofthe female end 106 of the duct 100. The lock may be clipped or punched through at several places around the mouth of the duct, such as shown at 107 for being held securely in place. When the ducts are installed, the male end 108 of the mating duct 102 is inserted into the recess 109 formed about the mouth of the female end of the duct 100 by lock 104. It will be noted that the flange 111 formed about the mouth of the male end of the duct 102 fits into the recess 109 abutting the web portion 112 of the lock. The outstanding lip portion 113 must be closed about the flange 111 through the ninety degree arc as shown in phantom in FIGURE 3.

For relatively large ducts where the locks are made of fairly heavy metal, it is generally the practice to bend the outstanding lip portion 113 up about the flange 111 at each corner of the, duct with a hammer or mallet. The tool shown herein is then placed on the duct with the front guide 14 resting on the outstanding lip portion 113, as shown in FIGURE 3, facing across the duct away from the end of the lip that has been closed with a hammer. The tool is then swung up and the rollers 34 and 36 clamped about the closed portion of the lip by clockwise rotation of the rachet 54 which moves the roller 34. Next, thumb screws 66 and 68 are loosened and the auxiliary rollers 63 and 67 extended against the surface of the duct as shown in FIGURE 6. The shafts are secured in that position by again tightening the thumb screws. By bearing against the duct surface, the auxiliary rollers serve to keep the tool from rotating as it traverses the length of the lip. The trigger 182 of the tool is then pulled to start the motor revolving the drive roller 34, moving the tool across the width of the duct.

FIGURE 4 shows the lock 104 as it is engaged by the front rollers 20 and 21. As shown therein, the normally outstanding lip portion 113 is at this point bent somewhat upwards by the action of rollers 20 and 21. FIGURE 5 shows the lip as it contacts the second pair of rollers 28 and 30. .At this point, the lip is almost closed about the flange 111. Finally, FIGURE 6 shows the lip as it is contacted by the drive roller 34 and its roller pair 36. At this point, the normally outstanding portion 113 of the lip is completely closed about the flange 111.

It will be noted that as the tool approaches the other side of the duct and the front guide runs off the end of the outstanding lip portion 113, it is necessary for the operator to grasp the tool toward the front thereof with his other hand as the tool is no longer supported by the front guide. As previously mentioned, the government lock or cup-clip is fastened together at the corners, preferably with rivets. These rivets constitute of an obstruction at the corners of the duct which the tool must pass over. For this reason, the roller 36 is not fixedly held in place but is free to move to the right as seen in FIGURE 6 against the force of the spring 46. This allows the tool to pass over the rivets without stalling or damage to the tool.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary front elevational view of an alternative embodiment of the tool. In this embodiment the frame 12 is flat and does not include sections which are canted downwardly such as those denoted as 27 and 32 in the previous embodiment. In order to effect an angle A" between the adjacent side surfaces of the roller 20 and its roller pair, a roller 200 is provided in the shape of a truncated cone. The roller 200 is rotatably carried on a spindle 202 which is the same as the spindle 22 and again appropriate bearing means (now shown) are included between the roller and spindle. Because the surface speed of a truncated cone rotated about its axis is greater at the wide portion than at the narrow portion the roller 200 is segmented into three individually rotatable sections 204, 205, and 206 to minimize the slipping which occurs when a conical roller is moved along a flat surface in a straight line. The sections are separated by a bushing 207 between sections 204 and 205 and a bushing 208 between sections 205 and 206. These bushings allow each of the sections to rotate at different speeds as the tool traverses the length of the lip. Similarly, a truncated roller 210 replaces roller as the roller pair for roller 28. The roller 210 is shaped such that the angle B is formed between the adjacent side surfaces of the roller 28 and roller 210. As the angle B is not as great as angle A the surface speed differential between the top and the bottom thereof is not as great and the resultant slippage is less. Therefore, roller 210 is not shown herein as being segmented though it can be.

While this invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is understood that the description is not to be construed in a limiting sense. Many modifications and improvements will become readily apparent to those persons skilled in the art upon reference to the foregoing description. It is therefore intended that the invention be limited only as defined in the appended claims.

I claim: g

l. A portable tool for closing the normally outstanding lip of a government lock or cup-clip attached to the female end of a section of air duct about the flanged male end of a mating section comprising (a) a frame,

(b) forming rollers rotatably mounted on said frame and positioned for bearing against said lip and causing said lip to close about said flange as the tool traverses the length ofsaid lip,

(c) drive means for rotating at least one of said forming rollers for causing said tool to traverse the length of said lip, and

(d) guide means attached to said frame and positioned forward of said forming rollers for moving along the surface of the lip to be closed against the flange to support one end of said frame and guide the tool along a path in which the rollers are maintained in predetermined spacial relationship to the bend made in the lip as it is closed about said flange.

2. A tool as defined in Claim 1 wherein said forming rollers comprises a first pair of rollers positioned on said frame with the axes of said rollers being substantially parallel and also substantially perpendicular to a flat portion of said guide, said flat portion being adapted for being supported on said lip as said tool traverses the length of said flange.

3. A tool as defined in Claim 2 further including a second pair of rollers rotatably positioned on said frame for preceeding said first pair of rollers along said lip, the axis of one of said second pair of rollers being acutely inclined relative to the axes of said first pair of rollers.

4. A tool as defined in Claim 3 further including at least one. additional pair of rollers positioned on said frame between said first pair of rollers and said second pair of rollers, each of said additional roller pairs having a roller the axis of which is acutely inclined relative to the axes of said first pair of rollers, the amount of inclination being substantially intermediate that of the immediately preceding roller and the next following roller.

5. A tool as defined in Claim 1 further including screw means connecting at least one of said first pair of rollers to said frame whereby rotation of said screw means varies the distance between said first pair of rollers.

6. A tool as defined in Claim 1 further including at least one auxiliary roller, connected to said frame and adapted for bearing against an air duct surface perpendicular to said flange for positioning and supporting said tool as it traverses the length of said lip.

7 A tool as defined in Claim 6 wherein at least one auxiliary roller is extendable from said frame to adjust to various flange widths.

8. A tool as defined in Claim 2 further including at least one second pair of rollers, positioned on said frame for proceeding said first pair of rollers along said lip, each roller of said second pair of rollers having an axis parallel to the axes of said first pair of rollers and one of said second pair of rollers being formed in the shape of a truncated cone whereby an acute angle is formed between the adjacent surfaces of each pair of said second pair of rollers.

9. A tool as defined in Claim 8 wherein said conical roller comprises at least two individually rotatable sections.

10. A tool as defined in Claim 1 further including control means for controlling said drive means 11. A tool as defined in Claim 1 wherein said forming rollers include a plurality of pairs of rollers, each of said pairs of rollers includes a firstroller and a second roller, each of said first roller is of cylindrical and configuration positioned with the surface thereof and normal to one plane and tangential to a second plane, the second roller of a first pair of rollers is cylindrical and parallel to the associated first roller and the surface of the second roller of each remaining pair is inclined relative to said second plane at progressively increasing angles.

12. A tool as defined in Claim 11 wherein the surface of the second roller of a last pair is inclined relative to said second plane at an angle of at least 45 degrees.

13. A tool as defined in Claim 11 further including means supporting said second roller of said first pair for lateral movement whereby the separation between the first pair of rollers can be varied.

14. A tool as defined in Claim 1 further including additional roller means extending from said frame to bear upon a surface of a duct for restraining twisting of said tool about said guide means as said tool traverses the length of said lip.

15. A tool as defined in Claim 1 wherein said guide means comprises an elongated element extending forwardably from said rollers and upwardly from said frame and terminating in an end portion adapted to move along the surface of the lip to be closed against the flange.

16. A tool as defined in Claim 15 wherein said end portion is straight and substantially parallel to the surface of the lip which it traverses. 

